LCSD TEACHER TRAINING
A new school season approaches, and that means teachers are preparing to welcome students. In the Le Mars Community School District, new teachers are being enfolded into an extensive orientation and mentoring process. Superintendant Dr Steven Webner says the district continues to find well-qualified teachers.
Dr Webner says new teachers have a lot of help as they begin work in the district.
And there’s yet another layer of engagement for new teachers.
Webner says typically, teacher who come to the Le Mars Community School District stay here. New hires usually replace retiring teachers.
Classes at Le Mars Community Schools begin Wednesday, August 24. It’s a time of excitement for teachers, students, and parents. Dr Webner is looking forward to growth and direction among students.
There will be some curriculum changes, too.
There have been some updates made at some of the school buildings. There’s renovations at the Le Mars Middle School, an expanded school camera system in the middle school, high school, and in the bus fleet. Work is nearing completion on a new HVAC system in the High School building.
DOT AVIATION
Several northwest Iowa airports will receive Iowa Department of Transportation funding for projects next year. The DOT Commission, meeting yesterday in Sioux City, approved funding for airport projects across the state. Two projects at Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City were approved. One is for repaving a taxiway. The DOT will fund half of the 300-thousand dollars total cost. They will cover all of a project to rehabilitate and build hangars at Sioux Gateway, at a cost of 132-thousand dollars. New fuel delivery systems at the Sheldon and Spencer airports, new signage at Sioux County Regional Airport at Maurice, and hangar improvements at Cherokee’s airport will receive partial funding form the DOT.
A total of 8.3 million dollars will be spent under this program next year.
IOWA REPUBLICANS
Governor Kim Reynolds and the five Republicans in Iowa’s congressional delegation are calling on federal officials to release details about the F-B-I’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home.
US Representative Randy Feenstra of Hull called the raid “an unprecedented escalation of the use of law enforcement against a former president”.
U-S Senator Joni Ernst is skeptical, saying the search “doesn’t seem to be on the up and up” and that the American people deserve answers. Democrats, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi say no one is above the law, even presidents, and the investigation should be allowed to run its course.
IOWA TEACHER SHORTAGES
Deidre DeJear, the Democratic candidate for governor, says it’s time for damage control to address the shortage of teachers, bus drivers, and other staff in some Iowa schools. DeJear says her opponent, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, chose to focus this year on state funding to send 10-thousand students to private schools, “rather than meeting the needs of all of our public school students.” DeJear says things like retention bonuses could help some schools keep veteran teachers in the classroom. Governor Reynolds used federal pandemic funds to provide one-time bonuses of one-thousand dollars to teachers, and this spring she approved a two-and-a-half percent increase in per pupil funding for public schools.
SPECIAL DEPUTY
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning approved the hire of a full time courtroom security officer. The Supervisors tabled the issue, as they wanted to know how the budget would be adjusted in order to increase the pay package for this position to full-time status. The board approved the position, which will include courtroom security, jail transfers, and occasional shifts as a patrol deputy in the Plymouth County Sheriffs Department. Last week, Carl McIntire, who works part-time for the sheriffs department and the US Marshals Service in Sioux City, was introduced to the Board as the person who will fill the new position.
FATAL UTV ACCIDENT
An obituary from an Orange City funeral Home indicates the victim of a UTV crash near East Lake Okoboji Sunday. 14 year old Syerah Van Muyden of Orange City was a passenger on a UTV which went out of control and struck a tree. Syerah was a student in the MOC-Floyd Valley Community Schools. She is the daughter of Josh Van Muyden of Orange City and Rebecca Van Meeteren of Sheldon. Funeral services are pending. The driver of the UTV, who was not identified,was treated for minor injuries and released from a local hospital.
CROP CONDITIONS
The ongoing drought in Iowa continues to impact crop conditions. The latest U-S-D-A crop report shows 73 percent of the corn crop is in good to excellent condition. That’s a three percent drop from one week ago. The condition of the soybean crop has declined to 71 percent good to excellent, down two percent from last week. Ag officials say sporadic weekend rains aren’t expected to do much to improve crop conditions. There were just over six days suitable for fieldwork in Iowa according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
CANNING POPULAR
An Iowa State University Extension specialist says canning or freezing home grown fruits and vegetables has become more popular in the last 10 years — and that picked up during the pandemic and is continuing now with higher food prices. Food specialist Renee Sweers (like cheers) says it’s important to preserve your produce using updated techniques.
She says some cooking methods aren’t the best and safest anymore.
Some of the new technology is also not safe for canning foods — including the pressure cookers that you plug in.
And while you can get some helpful information online — she says there is also a lot of information out there that isn’t correct.
She says one other source that they always recommend is the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
CELEBRITY VISIT
It’s not often that celebrities at the height of their fame honor requests to appear at small town events, especially if there’s no prior connection. But in 1978, the town of Olivia in south central Minnesota took a shot and invited singer and actress Olivia Newton-John to serve as Grand Marshal of the Corn Capital Days Parade. And to their shock, she accepted and also did it for free. Dave Pederson, who had the idea to invite her, said her participation in the parade helped lift the spirits of town residents following a plane crash that had killed six prominent residents. Olivia Newton-John died Monday at age 73 after a long battle with cancer.
